A Movie Script Ending
by ScatteredReminscer
Summary: Bella longs to escape the monotony of Forks. Then the Cullens move in next door, and she’s oddly fascinated by the youngest son. Is he hindering or helping her with her future plans?
1. Whenever I Come Back

**A Movie Script Ending**

**Summary: AH**-Bella longs to escape the monotony of Forks. Then the Cullens move in next door, and she's oddly fascinated by the youngest son. Is he hindering or helping her with her future plans?

**A/N: **As for the **ALL HUMAN **story, it is inspired by the Death Cab for Cutie song, "A Movie Script Ending." If you haven't listened to it yet, I highly recommend it. They're one of my favorite bands, and they also happen to be doing the first single for the upcoming New Moon soundtrack.

I read the song as though someone is returning to a place, perhaps a hometown or even a part of his or her former life. The familiarity is there. The feelings and perception attached to this former place aren't exactly the most positive. You're in a state of "unconsciousness." There is a need for movement, a need for something different, and "waking anew." The highway is there, the headlights lead you. Bella is growing up and trying to figure out her life, for herself, and perhaps how she feels for a certain boy. In the end, it's a movie script ending. Happy? Inspirational? Heartbreaking? Thus, each chapter is a lyrical line from the song.

So much for this rather long author's note, but I just wanted it out there. I've read quite a bit of fanfiction within the twilight fandom, some good, others not so good. I'd like to think my very first story would lean somewhere on the, "oh, I like it," but I guess I'll have to wait for some feedback. I look forward to reading your reviews, so please do review!

**1. Whenever I Come Back  
**

His fingers tapped along the marble counter. Those short, stubby, and slightly dirty fingers of his continued to clank against the flat surface, and I shivered slightly at the thought of them being anywhere near my crotch the last few months.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

He glanced in my direction. He glanced at the door. He stared at the tiles on my kitchen floor, his foot rubbing the murky brown spot where Charlie had spilled his beer the previous night.

"Bella . . ."

I suppressed a snort as he changed his position against the counter. He'd been rambling for a half-hour already and still hadn't gotten to the point.

Roll out the nervous ticks, Newton. I know you far too well.

Run your hands haphazardly through your messy hair. Slide your fingers down to the zipper of your letterman jacket. Slip your hands into your pockets and play idly with your car keys.

Deep breaths, Newton. Deep breaths. You can do it.

"Mike . . ." I replied, tapping my foot impatiently against the leg of the chair. I stared him down head to toe before smirking.

His boyish smile disappeared in exchange for loud and nervous laughter.

"Bella," he sighed. "I think you know why I'm here."

"Do I?" My eyes widened, my gaze innocent and naïve. It was too easy with Mike. He was sheer entertainment for me these days.

"We've been growing apart for a long time now, and I think you can see that," he whispered. He stared at me, his eyes filled with concern, and yet he stayed a good few feet away from me. I contemplated throwing my glass of water in his face, but I'm really not one for dramatics. Given the situation, most people would assume I didn't give a shit about anything.

The perfect boy. The most beloved and admired athlete. The boy all the girls of Forks one day dreamed of marrying . . . was dating silly, old me. He was dating me, and yet he was screwing the town bike. I was the girlfriend that "allowed" it and turned my head the other way. I was the girlfriend who was being played. I was the girl who didn't care or respect _herself._

It's not that I didn't care. At one point, I really did care about him, about our relationship. I had grown up with Mike and we were each other's first loves. Since Charlie wouldn't allow me to date until I turned 16, Mike waited patiently . . . or at least as patiently as a teenage boy could. We appeared to be only good friends to our peers and family, but we had been fooling around with each other since I was 14. In no time, we exchanged our pitiful, yet cheesy I-love-you's at 15.

And at 16, when we were finally a couple and the public of Forks knew every secret and gossip news about our formal relationship, I remember the night we lost our virginities to one another. His parents had left for their cottage that weekend, and I thought it was the sweetest thing to invite only me instead of all our friends as he usually did when his parents were gone. We sat giggling on his twin-sized bed, the boyish demeanor still apparent in his bedroom, his Seattle Mariners wallpaper lining the walls, the videogames chucked underneath the bed. We finished off an entire fifth of disgusting, cheap vodka, and when he sloppily stuck his hands down my pants, I didn't push him away. It's not like the foreplay lasted very long, and the next thing I knew he was panting heavily and had come.

Perhaps it had been all the time we spent with each other. Perhaps we simply grew out of our cherished adolescence. Perhaps the feelings were simply not as sincere as I thought they were. I'll never know exactly, but six months after that first time, things changed. Mike and I kept up with our appearances at school events and our friends' parties. He held my hand and softly kissed my forehead, but I knew he was fucking Jessica. I'd be blind to not see the smeared lipstick on his neck . . . and pants after lunch period. I definitely wasn't letting him in my bed after that. Then I made my own bad decisions and started sleeping with Jacob. Since we were kids when Charlie and Billy took us out on play dates, I always knew he secretly harbored a crush on me. He was far too cute for his age, and it was nice that he wasn't so aware or apart of the Forks community since he lived on the reservation.

It wasn't just the boys in my life. It was Forks itself. I was tired of all of it. Nobody had dreams. Nobody had aspirations bigger than winning the homecoming game. Everyone was content inheriting their parents' jobs and going to some nearby college in Washington.

Forks High wasn't the best place to nurture my talent—if you could even call it that. I had to fight the school board and convince Charlie to help keep the art department when it was nearly destroyed my sophomore year. I always loved writing, painting, and the arts. I never took it seriously until Mike and I started to grow apart. When he was off "studying" or at "practice," I was somewhere, just my camera and me, shooting the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest. If home offered me anything, it was aesthetically rewarding.

I glanced up to see Mike still rambling about how much he adored our time spent with one another, about how much our relationship had meant to him. I think I might have seen a tear even. Any other time, I might have been the caring and sympathetic girlfriend, but all I could think about was the creative portfolio I was about to mail out to NYU in a few minutes.

Tisch School of the Arts. It was my one dream. It was my ticket out of Forks. It was my future, and I would refuse destiny to take me anywhere else but there. I could feel my hairline dampening and I twisted my fingers nervously. I once thought it was _creative _to film a documentary about Forks, but realized how cliché that thought was—oh, small town girl with big dreams stamped right across my forehead. If I were to study film at their level, I would have to be better than that. I thought about the requirements.

_1. A one-page resume that highlights creative work accomplished, activities and relevant employment._

One word that summarized my original resume: lackluster. Perhaps I may have embellished a few things, but not everyone has the experience at 17-soon-to-be-18. After all, I had the disadvantage of living in Forks.

_2. A few options for a creative submission._

I bypassed the live action film since I had absolutely nothing to film. I considered submitting some of my photographs. I had thousands of photos and had even won a few competitions. Then there was the short story. I nearly picked that option. It was safe. I was certain of my writing abilities. In the end, I took a risk. I chose to submit a few drawings and paintings. _It's worth it to risk it all for the greatest return. It's worth it to risk it all for the greatest return. It's worth it to risk it all for the greatest return. _I repeated this daily.

_3. A dramatic or comedic essay about an actual event in my life that I will never forget._

This, I will remind myself for the rest of the morning, is why I chose the drawings and paintings over the writing. A portfolio needs variety. If I could win a competition where I wrote about a mundane meeting with a homeless stranger who Charlie brought back to the house when I was five, and make it into the most amusing, heartwarming, and unforgettable story ever written, I just knew someone at NYU had to believe in me.

Please, oh please. _Please. Please. Please._

Just as the ceiling began to spin, suddenly a hand was on my shoulder. I took in a deep breath.

"Bells? Are you okay? I thought you would handle this better . . ."

I nearly laughed, but I suppose that would come off as heartless . . . or hysterical, which I was!

"You know you were my first love. That will never change. And . . . well, I'm sorry about _everything._" His last word lingered because it carried so much more than everything else he had previously said. His distance. His cheating. His decision to happily not care about our longstanding friendship.

_Focus on this for a second, Bella._

I placed my hand atop of his. "I know," I whispered.

He lifted me off the chair and pulled me into a tight hug. It was weird experiencing all these emotions on my very first day of senior year. I was saying goodbye to the boy that was my entire life up until this point and nervously awaiting my uncertain future.

"I should go. We don't want to be late for our last day of high school," he muffled. I could feel his smile on my shoulder and I smiled along with him.

"Well! I certainly hope I'm not barging in on anything," a loud voice boomed behind us.

Mike quickly untangled himself from me and our warm embrace disappeared. Nearly 18 years of something that once was, was suddenly nonexistent.

"Charlie! Er, Chief Swan!" he grinned as he went to shake Charlie's hand.

Charlie raced to the sink and stood with his soaking back towards us as he poured himself a cold glass of water.

"Bells, you should really check out the trails around this neighborhood. They're great, and really safe for girls your age," he huffed, clearly still out of breath.

After all the steaks and bad food he ate at the diner, Renee really put her foot down. Charlie had to start running before he had a heart attack. I didn't want him to fit the stereotypical fat chief of police either, so I backed her on that. He grumbled about it at first, but I think he's taken a liking to it.

"I'll look into it."

"So are you kids excited for school? Mike, I hope you're leading the Spartans to a good football winning season this year," he smiled.

"Chief, I certainly hope so. Well, I should get going. I guess I'll see you later Bella." He smiled at me trying to convey much more, but I understood.

"See ya, Mike."

There was an awkward silence. I wondered if I should just blurt it out to Charlie. Then again, I'd give him the opportunity to practice his awkward fathering.

Charlie looked at the swinging door and then at me as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh, is something going on between you two?" he asked, unsure of whether this was a time a father should be meddling.

I laughed. "It's fine. I'm okay. Uh . . . Mike and I broke up."

His smile immediately disappeared. I knew this would be more disappointing for him than me. Mike was his perfect future son-in-law, and that would never be happening now.

"Oh," he sighed. "Well, I understand. You're going off to college next year . . . possibly New York," he winced, the idea of my living in the city and across the country not very comforting. "You guys are still friends, yeah? He'll be at your party?"

"Of course! Yeah, we're definitely still friends. He would never miss my 18th birthday even if I didn't invite him."

I thought about the impending party. It would be the first real gathering at the new house. Charlie finally received his significant pay raise and Renee convinced him into moving into this really posh and elegant (as posh as it gets in this area) neighborhood just outside of Forks.

For once, Renee had something else other than her elementary students to focus all her eccentric energy. She jumped head first into samplings of color palettes, wallpaper, and wood finishings. A rather bright can of turquoise paint and a few dirty brushes laid against the plain white wall of the hallway leading to the living room. I hoped Charlie could convince her to tone it down a bit.

The fuzzy carpet sampler lying on the dinner table led my eyes to the envelope carrying my key to the one place I wanted in. "I should get going."

"You eat breakfast already? Your mom left?" he asked, as he began rummaging for the bacon in the refrigerator. I tossed him a banana instead.

"Yeah, I had some cereal before Mike got here. Mom left about an hour ago."

I picked up the envelope and it weighed much heavier than it was. _Cliché. Lackluster. Small town gi_r_l_. It must be stamped all over that thing.

Honestly, my life was as normal and as _boring _as it got. Although there was that two-year period when Renee up and left Charlie and took me to Arizona when I was one, he flew out a week later and reclaimed her heart, as he says in the story he repeatedly tells me. That excludes "broken house" for reasons fueling my creative potential.

I kissed Charlie goodbye and made my way out to the long driveway of our new house. Why was it that the more expensive houses had those long and winding driveways?

Because of moments like this.

The sun was unusually bright today, its rays burning into the back of my head. I wondered if my sweating was a result of the heat or my nerves as I neared the mailbox. Five steps away, and I wanted to run back inside. I wanted to redo the entire portfolio. Did I spell the address correctly?

In carefully neat and bold handwriting:

**Undergraduate Division, Kanbar Institute of Film and Television  
721 Broadway, 11th floor  
New York, NY 10003-6807**

Okay, so I have that right at least. I know that I can spell, or at least copy an address correctly.

I stood there, staring at the god-awful mailbox. It sneered at me with mockery and disdain. I paced for a little bit. I walked half-way up the driveway and then back down. I opened it. I closed it. I even slapped the damn thing. Then I placed the envelope inside the mailbox, nearly admiring the stark contrast of the manila folder and the black paint on the mailbox.

Do I close it?

"Swan! Close the damn thing already!"

I spun around to see Rosalie clicking her nails against the steering wheel of her new red BMW convertible. She rolled her eyes and popped her gum as she fixed a stray hair, admiring herself again in the rearview mirror. Jasper sat beside her chuckling.

"Bella. Come on, it's now or never," Jasper encouraged. I could always count on at least one Hale to be nice to me in this new neighborhood of mine.

"Jazz . . . it's not just any random letter," I groaned.

"We know, we know. Oh my god, it's like your entire future to get out of this shithole. _We know_. I need to get out of this shithole too, so get in the car so we can finish our last year of school."

"Way to be compassionate, Rose," Jasper laughed.

I looked once more at the envelope and snapped close the mailbox. I dragged my feet to the car, willing myself to not look back. It _was _my key to future success.

As I jumped into the backseat, Rosalie whistled. "Who is that?"

I glanced at the house next door and snickered at how unaware I was of anything besides the portfolio. I failed to notice the monstrous moving trucks and unfamiliar flashy cars next to my house. "Oh, Charlie said a new family was moving in. I think they're the Cullens."

"Well, that Cullen is certainly cute," she said, eyeing the muscular teenager carrying a rather large box into the house.

"I guess we'll see them later today," Jasper said, his disregard blatant.

"I guess," I mumbled. Glancing one last time at the mailbox, I certainly didn't care about any Cullens either.


	2. The Same Sounds

**2. The Same Sounds**

The parking lot to Forks High was busy, cars weaving in and out, students blocking turn lanes. Rosalie made a sharp turn, and I nearly requested a vomit bag after tumbling to my side in the back. Jasper sat in the front, calm, collected, and was practically serene. It was beyond me how he drove with Rosalie to school every day. My nerves were about settled when Rosalie stomped her pedal and screeched into a parking spot near the front, in the process frightening a poor sophomore who sat behind the wheel of her dingy car trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry!" Rosalie smirked, tossing her hair and grabbing her book bag beside me. I scrambled out of the car and tried to flash the girl a sympathetic smile, but I was still catching my own breath. "Kids should really learn how to drive in this fast paced world. They'll never get a parking space driving like that."

"That, or they'll probably die at the hands of Rosalie Hale," I muttered. Jasper grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

Another year for Rosalie, Jasper and I at Forks High. It was unusually warm in Forks this September and the air was thick. I found it hard to breathe, and I considered the weather, but my inability to breathe correctly was probably a direct effect from the nerves I was experiencing all week.

Jasper whistled when a group of juniors in jean miniskirts passed us. "Goodness, I must remain a southern gentleman, but these girls are making it difficult."

"Seriously, Jazz? That's skanky, not pretty," Rosalie blurted.

Sometimes I wondered how I had stayed friends with Rosalie all these years. I glanced down at my outfit, and I'm sure my pair of small plaid shorts, a black tank top and sandals did not meet her standards either. In contrast, Rosalie and Jasper both dressed is designer brands and always looked well put together. I could point to a cover of _Elle_ and Rosalie was probably wearing a similar outfit.

"Skanky or pretty, they're pleasing to the male eye, dear sister," he laughed.

We were walking towards the entrance when I noticed a small group of seniors. Mike was leaning against the granite wall, his arm loosely draped around Jessica's shoulders. His smile was bright, the small creases by his eyes significant, his laughter loud and infectious. His fellow teammates roared with laughter at some, I'm certain, dirty joke, and they all gave each high fives. Jessica leaned into his embrace and rested her small head on his shoulder, her face filled with pleasant content.

"Is that Newton and Jessica Stanley?" Rosalie asked, her voice laced with disgust.

"Oops," I giggled. "I forgot to tell you guys. Mike and I broke up this morning," I said, nervously awaiting their reactions.

"Oh. Okay, well it's not like it's surprising or anything," Rosalie replied, indifference seeping into her voice. "Everyone knew you were screwing around with Jacob. _That_, I still don't understand either."

"Everyone? I highly doubt everyone at school knew that. You, Jasper, and maybe even Mike knew, but that's it. Mike and Jessica on the other hand . . . I think, deep down, my dad even knew," I whispered, my face turning a light shade of red.

Jasper softly rubbed my shoulders. "Hey, it's fine. Everyone knew you two were over months ago. It just took you guys a while to officially end it. You'll move on and meet a great guy. If that guy is Jacob Black, then it'll work out between you two . . . at least eventually, I hope. And Mike actually looks happy with Jessica. She's not the brightest girl, but you know . . . whatever floats your boat."

Reasonable, logical, Mr. Cool Jasper. I could always count on him to make me feel better. He had an uncanny ability to pin point your exact emotions.

Rosalie scoffed at her brother's reasoning. "Oh god Jazz, what guy actually thinks like you? This is why you've repeatedly gotten your heart ripped out and broken by every whore in school."

"Come on Rose . . ."

"No, Bella. Stop and just listen. I understand why you did it. Or why you waited for so long. You broke it off when you were ready, and I respect that. You move at your own pace. Jasper, on the other hand, wears his heart on his sleeve. His feelings are constantly manipulated by little whores."

I wanted to hide behind a tree. I wanted to escape the inevitable burning glare from Rosalie. "Actually, Mike sort of initiated the break up this morning," I said, nearly inaudibly.

"What! You let Mike Newton dump you?" she asked, appalled at the thought. "Okay, I change my mind then. Jasper is a hopeless romantic, wears his heart on his sleeve, is a pussy at heart and you, Bella Swan, are simply lazy. Mike had been your boyfriend for so long, and you were just so lazy that you couldn't even dump him . . . a year ago when you wanted to. Am I right?"

She looked pleased with herself, almost smug and certainly gloating. "God Rose, you're so right, like all the time." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay! I am not a pussy!" Jasper retaliated.

I laughed. "Oh Jazz. Fine you are not a pussy. You're simply a sensitive guy."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "I am simply sensitive to others' emotions. That's why I feel for so many people."

"Right." _Not exactly what I meant._

"Yeah, okay. Just promise me you won't get your heart broken this year and run home to Lenore crying your eyes out. Because then she'll just make all your stupid little southern comfort foods for a whole week and I'll have fat chicken thighs and be 10 pounds heavier by the end of the week!" she said, pulling at the imaginary fat on her stomach.

"Rose, you don't like mom's cooking?"

"Oh god, why would you even ask that? Of course I do! Why do you think I gained all that weight at the end of last semester when Alicia Moore dumped you for Eric Sampson?"

"Mmm, Lenore Hale-Whitlock food is amazing." My mouth was beginning to salivate just thinking about it.

"You should come over for dinner soon. Mom really misses you. I mean, you live across the street from us now," Jasper smiled.

"Thanks. I'll make an appearance soon."

I felt bad about everyone I had ignored the past few weeks, but I was putting the finishing touches on my portfolio. To be honest, I wasn't surprised Mike chose today to break up with me. I hadn't made any effort whatsoever to even see him the past few weeks. And as we approached the small group, there he was, happier than ever.

I felt like I was in a fish bowl. This is how I knew I lived in a small town, when everyone in the school was staring me. They were staring at me not because I had made a huge, embarrassing scene and had fallen on my face, but because each and every student knew that Mike and I were now over. In just a few hours, my entire town knew my life story.

I waited for him to say something. What seemed like another minute went by and nothing? Rosalie stood there switching her focus between Mike and I, amusement apparent on her face.

Reluctantly, I made the first move. "Hey Mike," I smiled, my cheeks a little sore at how big my smile actually was.

He grinned. "Hey Bella." And just like that, we both knew that everything was fine between us.

Everyone, on the other hand, knew absolutely nothing. They awaited for a bitch slap, perhaps even a catfight on the front lawn of the school. _Now that's a way to start a school year._ Jessica shrank into the wall and tried discreetly to remove Mike's arm on her shoulder. He, however, continued his strong grip on the girl and simply smiled at me. I get it Mike, you and Jessica are together and you're making a strong statement. However, anything I said in response to Jessica would come off as catty because I'm the ex-girlfriend. Double standards, they're so unfair.

_Leveled voice, not too much smiling. Don't come off as fake._ "Hello Jessica."

She brushed her bangs aside and looked at me, her face turning a bright red. "Hey Bella."

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later," I finished awkwardly. I entered the building feeling every set of eyes on my back. I didn't want to turn around, but I felt compelled to. Sure enough, everyone _was _staring at us. I waited for Rosalie and Jasper to join me, but Rosalie had other plans.

"Oh my god Jessica, that's _such a cute top_!" she exclaimed, the sarcasm pouring out of her mouth. She pulled on a loose thread at the bottom of Jessica's shirt and smirked. "Seriously, adorable."

She laughed and pulled Jasper in the doorway with her.

"God Rose, you're worse than Regina George," I sighed.

"Oh! Are we quoting Mean Girls now? Yay!"

We made our way to class, and I was looking forward to simply listening to a teacher lecture for at least an hour. That way, although I knew that every single person was gossiping about Mike, Jessica and I, I didn't have to hear or see it. First period, Jasper, Rosalie, and I all had AP English with Mrs. Kenston. I was really happy with all the AP courses Forks was offering this year. We had the basics in biology, English, and calculus, although I tried to convince Principal Thomas for an AP Art class, but I had to settle for independent study.

We lingered in the front of the class, chatting idly as I tried to ignore all the glares or smiles directed my way. Mrs. Kenston finally rushed into class, her hair in a messy bun and wearing yet another odd and eccentric dress to class.

"Okay class! Let us open our minds to literature and written works from talented and unique artists. Everyone be seated in alphabetical order, but!" she exclaimed, waggling her one finger, "alphabetical order by first name."

I made my way to the very first set of tables figuring there couldn't be too many students with names starting with A. I was about to sit in my chair when a petite brunette with a short and stylish bob walked into class. She had a dainty yet powerful stride and she smiled brightly at everyone in class.

"Well, I am familiar with every person's face except yours. Who may you be?" Mrs. Kenston asked, curious as Forks hadn't received any new students the past year, let alone a student enrolled in her AP class.

The girl passed Mrs. Kenston a small piece of paper. "Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. My father is the new chief at the hospital and we just moved to Forks today."

_A neighbor who was a doctor could come in handy_.

"Ah, but it looks as though you should have a brother enrolled in my course as well."

"Oh yes, Edward Cullen. Er . . . he must still be filling out some paper work," she said, frowning slightly.

"All right, have a seat next to Bella Swan. Okay, class, turn to your partner and introduce yourself Yes, yes, we all know most of you know one another, but at a literary perspective, let us discus our favorite authors, books and works of arts!"

Alice set her bag down and turned to me. "Hi!"

"Hi! I'm Bella Swan."

"Oh, I know. You're Chief Swan's daughter."

I must have looked surprised and or scared because she gasped. "Oh! Wow, I sound like a creepy stalker. No, your dad stopped by this morning to introduce himself, and he told us that you went to school with us but had already left with . . . uh I think the Hales?"

I laughed, a bit relieved. "For a second there I thought you were reading my mind, or this town is much smaller than I thought. Yeah, the Hales—that's Rosalie and Jasper Hale," I said, pointing in their direction.

She glanced at Rosalie but held her focus on Jasper a tad longer. He lifted his head and smiled at her. _Oh dear._

"So anyways, I hope Charlie didn't tell you any stupid and embarrassing childhood stories of mine, especially since I wasn't there to defend myself . . ." I trailed off as I saw that Alice began to laugh. "Oh god, he did, didn't he?"

"Oh, no. I mean, it wasn't that bad. Somehow Halloween came up and he told us about that one time you vomited into your pumpkin shaped candy holder," she grinned.

"Oh Charlie . . . telling everyone my life story."

"No, it was super cute. I promise, we only laughed a little."

She glanced in Jasper's direction again, and I laughed. "He's single, but please, don't break his heart if you're going after him. Rose will kill you." Alice blushed. "No, really, I'm actually really good friends with them, well more so with Jasper, but I love Rosalie anyways."

Jasper stared at me, obviously curious. "If they're in the same year, are Rosalie and Jasper twins?"

"I never thought about that. I guess they do look alike, but no, they're stepsiblings. Rosalie grew up in New York and her dad, Christopher, if you ever meet him, is so nice and understanding, he was this hotshot banker. But then when she was seven, her mom died in a car accident and Mr. Hale asked to be transferred to Houston. He loved New York, but everything about it reminded him of his wife."

"That's so sad," Alice frowned.

"But eventually, he met Lenore Whitlock, who is Jasper's mom. Jasper's dad died when he was really young so Chris kind of just fit right into his life and then they changed his last name to Jasper Hale, and that was that. Chris and Lenore got married, and two years later she was sick of Chris being obsessed with work, so she threatened to leave him and take Jasper if he didn't take a break. So they all up and left for good 'ol Forks, Washington where Jasper's dad was originally from. Rosalie has done a lot of moving, but they've been here since I was 10 or so, and we've been friends since. Rose and I share our hatred for Forks. She really misses New York, and I actually think she hates Forks more than I do."

I let out a big sigh. I think I've told that story to a million people, and yet I'm always out of breath after I'm done.

"You hate Forks? I think it's kind of charming," Alice giggled.

"Charming?" I snorted. "Perhaps, if you've been here for 10 minutes, but it gets old . . . really fast."

I was about to ask her about her brother when Mrs. Kenston clapped her hands. "Okay, class! I hoped you all read my email and syllabus I sent out last week. Please pull out your copies of Faulkner's _As I Lay Dying _and let's dive right in!"

I pulled my book over and glanced over at Alice who was nervously raising her hand.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Kenston, but I wasn't able to check my email the past few days, and I don't have a copy of the book. I apologize," she said, embarrassed already on her first day of class. I felt bad for the girl.

"I'll grab a copy from the library, Mrs. Kenston," I suggested.

"How kind of you, Ms. Swan. Okay, that sounds good. Grab two copies in case Mr. Cullen arrives as well."

Alice smiled at me and mouthed a thank you before I closed the door. As I entered the library, I spotted Mrs. Carlson, our wonderful school librarian. I was always here reading books and asking her questions, and I got to know a side of the lady not many students got to see.

"Hi Mrs. Carlson!"

"Bella, sweetheart. How was your summer? Do any good reading?"

"Not as much as I wanted to, but I was focusing a lot on that application to NYU," I sighed.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get in. I believe in you," she replied, smiling softly at me. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I'm just here to check out two copies of _As I Lay Dying_ for Mrs. Kenston."

"Well, you definitely know where that is."

I had read it a few too many times, but I loved those Bundrens. I thanked Mrs. Carlson and made my way into the aisles of books. I took a sharp turn when suddenly, a wooden ladder appeared. I crashed into the wood and was knocked back into the section of D, fiction.

"Ouch." I rubbed my head before a heard a plop as a pair of feet appeared next to the ladder.

"You should really watch where you're going. Death by ladder isn't the best thing to recite in a eulogy."

I looked up to see a rather tall teenage boy with blonde, almost copper-like hair smirking down at me. I had absolutely no idea who he was so I made an assumption. "Edward Cullen?"

"That's me." He leaned down and offered me his hand. As I stood up and brushed some dirt off my legs, I looked at him once more. He didn't look anything like Alice and was extremely tall. He couldn't be shorter than six feet. His light hair was messy and fell partially into his face—they nearly covered his brilliant green eyes. He was quite handsome, but the snarky smirk on his face made me reconsider any feelings I may initially have had for his physical appearance.

"Thanks," I muttered. "You know, you should really be in AP English right now."

He squinted his eyes at me, and then returned to his browsing. He picked up a book and turned to a specific page. "Is that so? I figured I could just read some Dostoyevsky for an hour, which by the way I'm quite surprised your library offers, rather than sit in on an hour of _AP English_," he mocked," and read . . . what is it that you're reading? Perhaps _Catcher in the Rye_?"

"Actually no, I was here picking up a copy of Faulkner for your sister. I _was_ going to get your copy as well in case you showed up for class, but I doubt you will now." I'm certain I was practically sneering at the boy. "That's quite ignorant of you to assume our librarian wouldn't carry some Dostoyevsky."

He snapped his book shut and laughed before smirking once again. "Defending your small town, are you? How cute."

I was taken back at his remark. Was I actually defending Forks? How many hours did Rose and I talk about leaving Forks and never coming back? We were going to go to school in the city and never look back. Yet, here I was _defending_ my hometown to a _stranger_.

"No . . . I mean, Mrs. Carlson is a great librarian and knows her literature."

He smiled before paging through yet another book. "Sure. I guess." He walked further down the aisle thumbing along the books. Once he found what he was looking for, he pulled it out and chucked it at me.

"_As I Lay Dying_, correct? It's pretty standard."

I barely caught the book and saved myself from yet another embarrassing fall as I grabbed onto the wooden ladder. He walked back in my direction and stood directly in front of me. He towered over me, but he leaned his head down to stare at my face.

"I suppose if you like Forks, it's a bit _charming_. I can't say I'll be staying once we graduate," he muttered.

"And where is it that you're going?"

"University of Chicago." The answer came immediately. He didn't have to think about anything, like he always knew he would go there. It was like my NYU.

"Where do you . . . or I mean, what do you plan to do after school?"

_As if I weren't going to go to university. The nerve of him!_

"NYU. Tisch School of Arts to be specific." I said it with determination, as if I wished and willed it, it was true.

His eyes widened just slightly. "Hmm, how ambitious of you."

"My god! You are so snobby. You're like . . . forgive me for my choice of words, but the cockiest guy I've ever met."

"Oh really? I heard that girls secretly love guys who are _cocky_," he whispered, his face mere inches away from mine. And again, there appeared his stupid and obnoxious smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it was _so nice_ to meet you Edward Cullen. Don't forget to bring your copy if you do decide to come to class."

I was just about to turn and exit the doorway when he said something that really surprised me.

"Nice to meet you Bella Swan."

Odd, because I had never told him my name.

_________________________________________

By the time I made it back to class, everyone was putting away their books.

"Nice to have you back, Ms. Swan. Next time, be a bit quicker, yes," Mrs. Kenston said, her eyes filled with suspicion. "And only one copy! Goodness."

I practically slammed the copy down in front of Alice.

"My god! Your brother is so frustrating."

"You saw Edward! I figured he was skipping. He's taking the move to Forks the worst," she said quietly.

"Ugh! I have never met anyone more condescending and insufferable in my life," I groaned, as I tossed everything into my book bag.

"I'm sorry. He must have been in one of his moods. He's really a nice guy once you get to know him. Trust me, I've known him since I was a kid."

My face scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean, he's your brother, of course you've known him since he was kid?"

Alice laughed. "Oh god, I forget you have to retell your life story when you move. You haven't met him yet, Emmett, who is also a huge giant, is our other brother. Emmett, Edward, and I are actually all adopted by Carlisle and Esme, our parents."

"Oh." I didn't know how to respond.

"It's okay," she smiled. "Carlisle and Esme really are wonderful people. Emmett and I were adopted when we were babies because each of our parents had died. Edward, on the other hand, was only adopted after he had turned 15. But he did grow up with us as children. There's another long story, but Edward can tell you that when he wants to."

"Right . . ."

"But yeah, if you bump into Emmett, I'm sure he'll be much nicer to you than Edward. He's huge, so you can't miss him, but he has brown hair like me, albeit it's curly, it's still brown like mine. We tend to pass off as brother and sister more so than with Edward because of his blonde hair."

Suddenly the bell rang, and I was unusually relieved that I wasn't going to hear more of Edward's life story. I didn't need to know his background and give him reason to be understanding.

"What's your next class? I have biology."

I groaned. "Lucky, I have gym. I hate it."

"Aw, I was hoping I would have someone to walk me. I have no idea where anything is just yet."

Just then Jasper appeared. "Oh, I have biology next. I could walk you," he smiled.

Rosalie stood to the side rolling her eyes. "Hi, I'm Rosalie. This is Jasper. He wants to get in your pants probably," she muttered.

"Rose!" Jasper yelled.

"Alice, Jasper. Jasper, Alice," I said, trying to hold back my laughter.

"Hi," she giggled.

"Hey," he said, nearly giggling as well.

"Rose, please tell me you have gym with me," I pleaded as I grabbed her arm.

"Nope, social studies it is for me."

"Ugh, this morning sucks!"

"Tell me about it."

"I guess I'll see you all at lunch?"

"Yeah, definitely," Alice said, smiling ear to ear as Jasper offered to carry her books.  
_  
Oh god, Jasper._

I made my return to the fish bowl as I tried to find my new locker for the year. I was so sick of all the staring that I grabbed my sweater from my bag and pulled up the hood. It felt like I was an undeserving reality star that had suddenly been exposed in a sex tape, and the tabloids were after me. By the time I got my combination to work, a hand suddenly snapped the locker door shut.

"Bella . . ."

_Oh god, please god no . . ._

"Eric! What's up?"

"I heard about you and Mike. I'm so sorry." He leaned on my locker and sighed. "If I were him, I would have never let a girl like you go."

"Uh . . . thanks, I guess." _Please go away._

"So, I know that we're both senior editors for yearbook this year, so I was thinking we could go do some shooting later. I heard you got a kickass Canon over the summer," he grinned.

"Er, maybe Eric. I really have to go to class."

Forgetting about putting my things in my locker, I rushed towards anywhere that wasn't near Eric.

"Okay! Later then!" he yelled behind me.

I entered the girl's locker room, and was yet again, surprised . . . in an awful sort of way.

On the bench sat Jessica, Lauren Mallory, and Angela Webber. Angela tried to smile at me, but all I could focus on was Lauren's whispering.

"Lauren, stop," Jessica said uncomfortably as she stared at me.

Lauren stood up and walked pass me. "Hey Swan," she smirked.

Angela, who had always been nice to me, shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry about her. How was your summer?"

"I'm really sorry about not calling you back the last few weeks," I said sheepishly.

"No, it's cool. I understood that you were busy. See you out there," she smiled, as she made her way out to the court.

Jessica and I remained on opposite sides of the locker room, just her and I.

She coughed nervously before staring at me. "Uh, Bella, I'm glad I caught you in here. I . . ." she paused so she could walk over and sit next to me. "I just wanted to say I was sorry as to how everything was . . . let out. I hope everything's cool between us."

"Yeah . . ." _you fucked my boyfriend, _"it's cool."

She sighed in relief. "Good," she half-smiled. "See you out there. We're playing volleyball!"

I sat there a little stunned. I was cornered in a locker room by my ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend and now I'm about to go play a game of volleyball against said girlfriend who also happens to be the varsity volleyball's team captain. This couldn't possibly be karma for my sleeping around with Jacob when Mike and Jessica slept around so much more than I did with Jacob. But the list in my head totally said I had bad karma. My life was a bad teenage comedy, except I wasn't laughing, and everyone else was.

1. My day began with my boyfriend dumping me.

2. I sent out a creative portfolio that was bound for a reject stamp.

3. I nearly died in a car accident with Rosalie and Jasper . . . and that poor sophomore.

4. I now live in a fish bowl.

5. Edward Cullen is an asshole.

6. Eric will not go away. Yearbook begins soon.

7. Jessica is going to kill me with volleyballs. Death by volleyballs is much worse than death by ladder.

I changed into my gym clothes and reluctantly made my way out onto the court. The girls were warming up on one half, and on the other side Mike was shooting some basketballs with the boy's class. I almost turned back into the locker room when Mike yelled my name.

"Bella!"

"Mike . . . we have a class together," I feigned excitement.

"I know, weird, isn't it? You're taking all these AP classes this year that I didn't think we'd be in any together. Thank goodness for required physical education, right?" he laughed.

"I hate you," I grumbled.

He knew me better than that. He knew me when I was five and I hated playing on the seesaw because it took too much damn work to teeter-tot before I would eventually fall off onto my face. He knew that when I rode my bike over to his house, my dad made me wear a helmet, elbow pads, kneepads, and wrist pads . . . despite living two blocks down the road from our old house. He knew that the one game of softball I played, the ball bizarrely drove into my head and gave me a concussion at 13. He knew me far too well.

"Bells, watch out for Jessica's balls." He burst into laughter.

"You're such a boy. This is why we're broken up."

"No really though, she has a great serve. Good luck," he laughed, as he made his way to his side of the gym again.

I stood at the back of the court, precariously waiting for any flying balls. For the first set, the girls stuck to the front of the court and I was safe. I turned to watch Mike dunk a few shots when I noticed, literally, a giant standing next to him. Upon longer and closer inspection, he was the same guy that was carrying boxes into the Cullen house this morning. This must be Emmett Cullen. He didn't look anything like Edward, but Alice was right about her similar features shared with him. I laughed when I saw that Emmett had lifted a small freshman and given the poor kid a chance to make a shot. He was already a million times nicer than Edward in my mind.

I was about to walk to the drinking fountain as an excuse to miss out on more of class, when suddenly, a sharp pain radiated from the side of my head, and I was hitting the hard gym floor with a loud thud.

It seemed like a million faces were surrounding me. I could hear a few distant voices.

"MALLORY! What did I tell you about spiking it like that during class!"

"Sorry coach."

"Seriously, Lauren, stop picking on her."

"Honestly Jessica, it's far too easy. She makes herself a target."

"Oh god, that looks painful."

And then appeared Coach Martin's face, like a giant ogre, but not green. I think I might've shuddered in fear.

"Swan! Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?

"Was that a ladder that hit me?"

"Er, no. It was volleyball. We're playing volleyball," she said, picking up a ball to put in front of my face. "A volleyball," she said slowly, as though I was mentally retarded.

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled.

"Angela, could you go and grab some ice with Swan?"

I was a little confused as I was being picked up, but I could hear Angela's voice. "Here, lean on my shoulder."

"Leaning," I laughed deliriously, as I leaned on her. "I don't get it . . . it was just a volleyball. Ouch!" I winced, as I touched the side of my head.

"You better leave it alone. I can already see it swelling. Lauren hit it pretty hard and it was coming directly at you . . . and well, you weren't exactly paying attention either."

"Right . . ."

"Here, sit down."

I glanced across the gym to see Mike eyeing me with concern. He ran over to me just as Angela handed me a pack of ice.

"Wow . . . Bella. That doesn't look good. I told you to watch for those balls!" And in seconds he was snickering again, but instead of his sole laughter, he was joined by Emmett Cullen, who ironically caused this accident.

"Bells, this is Emmett Cullen. Emmett, this is Bella Swan."

Angela waved goodbye as I looked up at this giant, and apparently said exactly what I was thinking.

"You really are a giant man."

His laughter was annoyingly loud and I think it might've given me a headache in addition to the pain on the side of my head. I tried to cover my ears.

"Ugh, shut up."

"Whoa, Bella, be the nice girl I know," Mike chuckled.

"Sorry, my head hurts. Sorry, Emmett, I know you're nice, because you're not your brother Edward "Asshole" Cullen. Alice was the one who told me you were a giant, so blame her about that remark," I slurred, as I placed my head between my knees.

He laughed even louder this time.

"Oh, so you've met my little brother. Yeah, he can be a jerk, but you learn to love him."

"Doubtful," I muttered.

"Who's Edward?" Mike asked, curious as he had yet to meet the third Cullen.

"He's my other brother. You'll eventually see him in classes, but probably not this week. He always pulls this shit where he skips out on the first week, and then he comes in and miraculously aces every class. He really doesn't need to try because he's so damn smart."

"Yeah, a condescending _smartass_."

Emmett boomed with laughter and smacked me in the shoulder. "Bella, you're hilarious!"

"Hmm, he sounds interesting. All right, lunch is coming up, so I'm probably going to hang with Jess. You okay, Bells?"

I pushed into the wall and slowly stood, making sure to not let my head lean near the hard wall. "Ugh, yeah, I'm fine. Emmett, I'm actually supposed to meet up with your sister and some of my friends for lunch. You can join us."

"Yeah! How about we change and then I can walk you to the cafeteria so you don't bump into anything else that could possibly harm you," he smiled.

"Thanks," I laughed.

When I entered the locker room, a small group of girls quieted as I got closer. Jessica ran up to me, alarm written across her face. "I'm so sorry! I swear, I didn't tell Lauren to hit you or anything."

"Yeah, it's fine. I get it. You're not a crazy bitch trying to come at me. I get it." _Wow, I really don't have a filter when I have a near-accident head injury._

"Oh okay, I hope it doesn't bruise too badly," she winced when she glanced at my ice pack.

I changed as quickly as I could without removing the ice from my head, because the second I did, the stinging pain returned.

Emmett was waiting near the exit and it was comical to watch him standing in between a group of freshmen boys and the JV cheer team. "Ready?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you to lunch? Because I will if you want," he grinned, his dimples prominent on his face.

"No," I mumbled. "I don't need any more attention than I already have from this morning and more now that I have this stupid ice pack to put on my head."

"Oh yeah, Mike kind of mentioned something."

I was immediately curious as to what he might have said. Boys never say what they mean—it's always in this boy code.

"What did he say? _Oh dude, I fucked around with Jessica for like almost our entire relationship, and everyone at school knew. Now that we're broken up, nobody knows how to act around us. _Something like that?"

"Pretty much," he said quietly.

"Fine, I know how you boys are with your secret codes."

"But you and Mike are still friends, right?"

"Oh yeah. We'll be friends for a long time. Why?"

"Uh, I think I'm joining the football team this season, so I didn't want any unnecessary animosity between two people I actually liked at school."

"Mike is fine. Edward, however, is another story," I groaned.

When we entered the cafeteria, I'm sure every student was creating a story as to how I got the ice pack on my head. I could just hear them.

_She and Jessica wrestled! It was hot!_

_Jessica hit her with a baseball bat!_

_She got Elyse to sit on her face._

Rosalie stood up as I sat down at the table. "Oh god! What happened to you now?"

"Lauren hit me in the head with a volleyball . . . by _accident_."

"That bitch!"

"It was pretty intentional," Emmett piped in.

Rosalie suddenly focused on Emmett and her eyes lit up with recognition. "You're the boy from this morning! It takes a really _strong_ man to bring in all those boxes," she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Give it a rest, Rose," I blurted.

"Forgive Bella, her head injury makes her say crazy things," Emmett laughed.

I sat at the lunch table rubbing my swollen bump as Rosalie and Emmett got to know each other. It was really pathetic as to how fast Rosalie threw herself at the guy. She didn't need to at all—the girl was so beautiful. She could dress in a potato sack and every guy in Forks would still grovel at her feet for just one date. Emmett seemed like a nice guy though, so I wasn't too worried about anyone taking advantage of Rosalie just yet. I was about to doze off when Jasper and Alice appeared with five trays packed with food.

"We thought we'd buy everyone lunch since we all saw you sitting here."

I mumbled a "thank you" but was barely conscious enough to sit up.

"Oh no, Bella! What happened?" Alice asked, her concerned face appearing by my head.

"Volleyball. Head," was all I could get out.

"I'll tell you later," Emmett laughed.

"Jasper, this is Emmett," Alice smiled. "My brother."

Jasper frowned, probably a little scared at Emmett's size.

"Wow, so many introductions today. My head hurts, can this day _please_ be over?"

"You're right, she really has no filter," Rosalie nodded along with Emmett.

"Okay, I have biology, social studies, and calculus, although I'm thinking of leaving after fourth period if anything else bad happens today. Anyone else have class with me?"

"Bella Swan! Lucky you, you and I have biology together!"

"No . . . no. No! Please tell me that is not Edward Cullen," I mumbled. Disregarding my sheer laziness, I didn't even have to lift my head off the table to know that it was him. The day was progressively worsening.

"Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you two," he said, smiling charmingly towards Rosalie and Jasper.

"Bella, he may be an asshole, but he's cute," Rosalie said. All the years I knew this girl, I don't believe _she_ ever spoke with any filter.

"You came to the conclusion that I was an asshole after just 10 minutes of talking to me? Wow, I think I'm flattered," he said, starting at the ice pack. "What's the injury from?" he asked, as he slid away my tray of food and started picking at the fries.

"Volleyball," Alice said.

"That's comical and much better than a ladder," he chuckled, as he made an attempt to cut in half the sandwich on my plate.

I grabbed it and tossed it in the trash just as he was about to take a bite and glared at him. "I'll see you guys later."

I pushed my way through a group of sophomore girls and made my way to biology, which thankfully was an empty classroom. I had never been more relieved for solitary than this moment. The entire day was a train wreck, and all I wanted was to dive underneath my comforter and sleep for days on end. The black lab table felt like a feather down pillow, at least the side without the injury, and then unexpectedly I felt my shoulders relax and the tension seep out of every tightened muscle of my body. The lab tables and the school windows opened to the busy streets of Greenwich Village and I was among a throng of people, the streets filled with adults, teenagers, and children, in which I had no inkling of their names. The continuous chatter was like a pleasantly soft humming, and of the clips of conversations I did hear, none of them included the words Mike, Jessica, or Bella. I practically skipped down another block as my eyes grazed over the beautiful skyline of the tall buildings. Perhaps I would take a ride through Times Square, and immediately, a bright yellow cab appeared on the side of the street. The driver waltzed to my side and opened the door, his arms out directing me into the backseat. His face was a tad burnt, perhaps from the scorching sun of New York's summer, but his eyes crinkled into creases that gave the old man a sense of charm and humor. Everything and everyone was so nice that I wondered if it would be too weird to give my driver a hug. As I leaned in, his charming smiled turned into an obnoxious smirk. I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"Swan, I have to say drooling is on the bottom of my list of attractive features."

And like that, I was suddenly back in AP biology.

"Ugh . . ." I wiped at my sleepy eyes and lifted my heavy head to observe my surroundings. A few students were settling in their lab seats, and Mr. Molina was in the front situating the projector. I pondered the thought of just leaving class, but Cullen was blocking my escape.

"Hi partner!" he grinned, sliding into the stool next to me. "I sure hope you believe in evolution. Do you know the difference between mitosis and meiosis?"

"Get out."

"Swan, we have class together. I can't just leave."

"No, get out of that seat. Seriously, like now, before Molina—"

"Okay class! Turn to the person sitting next to you. This is your lab partner for the rest of the year, so get to know one another."

"Does that . . . " I groaned.

"Fantastic! With your ambition and my intellect, I think we'll be a great team, don't you?"

"Cullen, I don't even . . ." I noticed he had already begun writing on the sheet Mr. Molina had passed out. He was writing frantically, switching from scratching down a few numbers, to measuring the diameter of the beaker in front of us. It was odd to watch him concentrate on something academic longer than five minutes after watching him flip through numerous books earlier that morning. I suppose Emmett was right in saying that his brother was smart, but it was hard to label him as anything other than asshole. Yet, I was still curious to find out more about him.

"Do you enjoy biology then?"

He reluctantly lifted his head from the worksheet and stared at me. "Yeah, I guess."

"But you skipped AP English meaning you enjoy science more?"

He set his pencil down and swiveled his stool towards me. "No, I didn't say that. I think you're making assumptions now."

"Okay, so you enjoy English more?"

"Yeah."

"It doesn't explain why you skipped out on class this morning . . ." I said, more confused now than before.

"Science is . . . practical for me. I like it when there are experiments and problems that need solving. It's structured and is given to me by some instructor. Like I said this morning, I can read on my own."

"How very independent of you," I sighed.

"It's a good a characteristic to have," he laughed.

For once, his face wasn't scrunched into a smirk, and he was rather attractive when he was like this. I watched him measure a cup of water before he abruptly stopped.

"Are you going to help, Swan?"

"Oh, sorry. My head still hurts. I don't know if I'll stick it out with you on this one," I said, trying to smile at him.

He eyed my pack of melted ice and waved Mr. Molina over. "Could I walk Ms. Swan to the nurse's office? She's not feeling well after an injury she sustained during gym class, and I would feel so much better if I could escort her there."

"How nice of you, Mr. Cullen. Sure. Ms. Swan, I do hope you feel better."

I shot Mr. Molina a strained smile before collecting my books and exiting the room with Edward. I racked my head as to what to say to him, but it didn't help that he was simply leaning against the wall of lockers and smirking at me yet again.

"Uh . . . thanks, I guess."

Edward laughed, his head thrown back, completely relaxed. "Sure Swan." He stepped to my side and threw his arm loosely around my waist. "It's also a great reason to skip out on class too. Let's get to you to the nurse's office before you run into something else."

I rolled my eyes at him. _Of course._

We arrived in the office just as Nurse Dalton was finishing her wrappings on a freshman's wrist. "Oh Ms. Swan. Your certainly didn't wait too long. What is it now?"

Edward shot me a look and whispered, "Oh, you have a history, do you? You should really meet Carlisle."

"Gym accident. I don't really mind the bump, but I have a horrible migraine that won't go away."

"All right, let me get something for that."

Edward waited until she was clearly out of the room before he jumped into the seat beside me. "Migraine? Good one."

"I _do_ have a migraine," I said, confused. "And it's certainly not going away."

"Really? Hmm," he replied thoughtfully.

"You don't believe me?" I rubbed the bump on my head for emphasis. "Seriously?"

"I mean . . . it was just a volleyball," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Nurse Dalton returned with a few pills in her hand. "Here Swan. Drink all of it," she said, referring to the tall glass of water. I downed it, all the while glaring across at Edward's face. He seemed bored as he peeked out the window.

"Mr. Cullen, is there a reason why you're still here?"

"I should turn on the charm," he whispered in my ear. "Nurse Dalton, how are you today?" he smiled. She visibly softened and her toe tapping immediately stopped. "It is a great day after all. Poor Bella here just can't catch a break and I felt compelled to walk her down to your office so that she could receive the wonderful care you offer Forks High students every day. I hope you don't mind my presence," he ended, practically batting his eyelashes.

"Oh! Mr. Cullen, your presence is more that welcomed. How is your father doing? Be sure to say hello to him for me," she winked.

"I'll make sure to tell him what a wonderful job you're doing here," he winked in return. "I suppose I should get going though, because I don't want to miss out on calculus. Who else will get those notes for Bella?" he grinned, glancing in my direction again.

"You're such a gentleman, Edward!" she exclaimed, nearly pinching Edward's cheek, holding her gaze on the boy. As if she had almost forgotten about me, she finally turned in my direction. "If you need to rest for the rest of the day, you can stay here until you're comfortable to return to class. You're in good hands if Edward is here."

"I am in . . . good hands," I said reluctantly. "Of course, Edward, you're planning on _going_ to class, right?"

"Of course!" he smirked.

"Good! Well, Ms. Swan, I suggest you get some rest then. Hopefully, I'll see you later Edward."

She barely left the room when I turned to Edward. "Okay, get out."

"I'm appalled by your behavior. I walked you all the way down here, and this is how you repay me."

"Uh . . . okay, thank you for walking me down here so that Nurse Dalton could give me two Excedrin pills. You saved my life. My sincerest gratitude," I spat.

He laughed before he leaned in closely to grab something beside my head. "Really, you should keep this ice pack on your head. I expect to see you in all my classes tomorrow."

He snickered on the way out as I finally laid down on the cot. My head was throbbing slightly, but I was more tired than anything else. Without the threat of flying volleyballs and Edward Cullen, I finally shut my eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Shop Fronts & Dirty Words

_*hmm, I don't know what the deal is, but there is difficulty with uploading this chapter. I'm adding it again, so cross our fingers that it works!_

**3. Shop Fronts & Dirty Words**

The only words running through my mind were _it's been too fucking long_.

He shoved my hips into my door and I could feel him everywhere as he moved against me. His mouth lingered near my ear, his warm breath making me shiver, and I wondered if he thought this was completely crazy like I did. I wanted, no I _needed_, this, and yet I softly pushed his shoulders.

"Wait . . . too soon?" I gasped, his mouth trailing down my jaw, neck, collarbone, his lips grazing my heated skin.

He paused reluctantly, his head nestled in my neck. "What?" he breathed heavily. His hands continued to circle my waist, rubbing soft circles on my back. I hesitated, perhaps forgetting completely what I wanted to say, and he took the opportunity to trail his fingers down into the waistband of my pants. He nudged my neck back and pushed into my hips a little harder than before, his fingers slowly inching down to exactly where I wanted. He stopped his movement, lifting his head from my neck and gazed at me, his eyes burning with desire. "What Bella? What is it?" he whispered.

I slowly shook my head, left then right, trying desperately to will myself out of the blur of my mind. All I could see and feel were his hands, grasping, pulling, tugging, and my mind screamed for his fingers to touch me. "Maybe we should . . . uh," I started, but I stalled with whatever thoughts I may have had, when I felt his fingers barely brush my clit. "Oh god," I groaned. His hand moved faster and faster, and then I was reeling when I felt his fingers, one and then two inside me moving perfectly as I pushed against his hand. I couldn't think, I couldn't speak—nothing but silent gasps escaped my mouth and then my knees buckled, his fingers pushing even harder now, his other hand helping to keep me up as my legs were pure jelly. Just as I thought I couldn't take anymore, his fingers suddenly stopped and I wanted to scream because I was so close. "Bella, tell me you want me. Tell me," he gasped.

"Yes, god, I want you. I want you in me," I slurred, completely lost and desperate for my release. He waited, his hand moving slowly, but it wasn't enough, and so I grabbed control of the situation. I practically yanked his arms away from my pants, and although I would miss his talented hands and fingers being there, I quickly fumbled with his zipper and knew there would be much better things in a few moments.

It was his turn to whimper and groan as I rubbed his erection through his pants, my lips and teeth grazing down his chest. My hands trailed down his stomach and I dropped to my knees, pulling his pants down with me. I looked up at him, his face was flushed and he was panting heavily at this point. His eyes locked with mine and I could see the anticipation, and deciding no longer to tease him, I kissed his erection before slowly taking him into my mouth. He slumped against the wall and let out a long groan as I moved up and down his length. After some time, I felt his fingers run through my hair and he lifted me up quickly.

"Enough, enough," he grunted. He shoved me back to the door, squeezing my hips and pushing them close to his, and I nearly came as I felt him brush against my entrance. Reaching down between us, he quickly rubbed me with his fingers. "Are you good? Are you ready?"

His fingers felt nice, but I was frantic at this point. "Edward, just fuck me already!"

He positioned himself against me and then . . . and then . . . _**BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!**_

I woke up, startled at the obnoxiously loud alarm blaring in my ear, and I groaned because I was _so fucking _close. My hand was embarrassingly close to my crotch and rolled over into my pillow, screaming softly into the padded material. _Pathetic _was all I could think because I was so sexually frustrated that I was having dreams about some guy I met just two days ago, that I didn't even particularly like nor could I stand.

I decided to stay home the next day after that horrendous first day, and I wondered if Cullen actually made it to any of our classes. He probably skipped out, but I needed this one day to myself, and not with the entire Forks' student body. I glanced at my phone sitting on my dresser and saw that I had a few missed calls and messages.

_Bella, where are you these days? I miss you ;) –J_

Jacob Black, where do I even begin with you? He _missed _me, which meant that it had been too long since we hooked up. It was true; I wasn't paying him many visits the last few months, but I was rather preoccupied. I'm sure he was finding satisfactory company in Leah Clearwater, so I wasn't worried that poor little Jacob Black was lonely and without a warm bed. Then again, in my state, I wouldn't mind having his mouth around because he could do _amazing_ things with it.

I texted him back, knowing that I would probably visit him soon.

_Call you later today. It's been too long._

I hoped he would understand the double meaning of my last line, and would know exactly what I wanted when I stopped by. None of this, _let's talk for a bit and catch up_. Having a boyfriend for nearly the past four years meant absolutely nothing for my sex life. Mike and I were barely hanging out, let alone having sex, and I was concentrating on only one thing in my life, and it was currently on its way to New York at this very moment.

Perhaps because it was finally gone and out of sight did I now just realize how long it had been since I had sex. I am a 17-year-old-girl, nearly 18, and I've been sexually active for a few years. But it really started to bother me that the guy starring in my dirty dreams was Edward Cullen. He was nothing but irritating, an insufferable little jerk that knew how to push my buttons. It's like he knew that I was frustrated and vulnerable and happily appeared in my dreams so that he could play the guy that would get me off and then rub it in my face later.

The dream definitely didn't help, and a girl has to do whatever it takes to help _ease _her situation. It wasn't the same as my hand trailed down to my crotch, and it really, _really _bothered me when Edward suddenly appeared in my thoughts. What was more alarming was the fact that after I focused my thoughts on Edward and the dream, I finally started to get somewhere. Pride aside, I would take whatever I could get that would finally get me off this morning. Just as I started to feel that familiar tingling and tightening in my stomach, my door swung open with a bang.

"Bella, sweetheart! Good morning!"

_Damn._

I snapped my hand back and rolled around under my comforter before popping my head out from beneath the covers, hoping—no, praying, that Renee wouldn't catch on to what I was doing.

"Oh . . ." she mumbled.

_Too late._

"Mom! Uh, what do you need? Does nobody knock anymore?" I stuttered. I felt my checks flush red and I was utterly embarrassed.

Renee made a quick glance around the room as though to check if there was someone else in the room. She smiled knowingly before sitting down beside me on the bed.

"Sorry, I'll knock next time," she grinned, kissing my forehead and pinching my face softly. "Would you mind running down to the store to pick me up a few things for dinner tonight?"

"Er . . . sure. Let me shower and get dressed first," I mumbled. "You're making dinner?" I asked, my voice filled with more surprise than I wanted to let on.

She frowned. "Yes, I am! What's wrong with making dinner for my family?"

"Oh, nothing! It's just that you haven't attempt—uh, I mean made dinner for us in a while," I said, flashing a smile as to prevent anymore angry feelings.

"I _can_ cook a few things, Bella." She sighed and turned to leave my room, but as if to seek revenge on my earlier jab, she glanced back and laughed. "By the way sweetheart, there are things to help you _get there_ faster. Perhaps you should look a few vibrators or two."

I blanched at her response. I was completely mortified that my own mother just suggested the use of sex toys. Oh, and Renee knew it and simply laughed before closing my door.

______________________

I made it out of the house, Renee's chuckling loud and distinct, but I figured it would be good to get out because Renee could be relentless when she wanted to be. I would go to the store and buy whatever was on this list that would make god knows what, and I would happily and voluntarily eat everything off the plate to appease her. I would feign enjoyment and pleasure as I ate every bite, what I was certain would be utter shit (she really is an awful cook), because I never want to hear another comment like that from Renee.

I drove towards the one grocery store in Forks and the streets were eerily quiet for a Saturday morning. There were a few cars that scattered the parking lot, and I made my way quickly into the store, as the sky was a dark and violent grey that suggested a strong storm was near. A few people smiled or offered me a quick hello and I returned the gesture as it was routine in our small town. It was something that I thought was nice and it did add to the _charm_ of Forks that most outsiders observed, but I wondered if it was something I would actually miss once I moved away. I couldn't imagine people would offer me random hello's, let alone recognize my existence on a busy street in New York, but the thought excited me nonetheless. The anonymity would be drastically different, but I looked forward to it.

I strolled down a few aisles picking up a few items before I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. The caller ID read "Jacob Black." I hesitated and let it ring twice before I quickly answered it.

"Hey."

"Hey Bells."

"I thought I was going to call you."

"Too long, right?" he said, his voice laced with innuendo, laughing softly afterwards.

I could just see his boyish smirk. I could hear the soft chatter of Billy and perhaps the voices of a few of his friend's in the background.

"Yeah, maybe a bit too long," I smirked. "What're you doing? Are Paul and Embry there or something?"

"Oh yeah, some of the guys are here. They're helping me fix up Dad's old truck," he said.

"Then why are you on the phone with me? Shouldn't you be helping them," I suggested.

"You're much more interesting," he said, charm oozing from his voice.

"Is that so?" I smiled. I was so captivated by his voice that I barely registered the stock boy right in front of me. I smashed into his shoulder, and he stumbled back into the wall of cereals. He frowned and I smiled sheepishly. "Oh sorry! I didn't see you there," I laughed.

"What are you doing Swan? You crashing into people, making them victims from your lack of coordination?"

I laughed again and the stock boy simply rolled his eyes at me before returning to his job. I turned a corner and hid behind a stand of tuna fish quite humiliated. "Jacob! Stop distracting me, would you?" I said, continuing to laugh.

"I'm sorry I'm such a distraction. Maybe you should just come and see me so I can't distract you from anything else."

"Are you sure Leah Clearwater doesn't want some distraction?" I quipped. I picked up a few bottles of seasoning waiting for his response after the long silence.

"Uh Bella, c'mon, don't be like that," he pleaded.

"Like what?" I responded, playing dumb.

"I haven't seen Leah in quite . . . some time."

I snorted. "Okay, sure."

As though sensing the quick turn of our conversation, Jacob laughed again to ease the tension. "Bella, babe, really though. I miss you a lot. I haven't seen you in a long time, and that's what's concerning me right now."

I sighed. "I know. I miss you too. It has been a _long _time," I said, as a bit of the morning's dream flashed in my mind. "Well, you know that my birthday is in a few days."

"Of course I know that," he chuckled.

"So, I was thinking you could stop by my party. Bring along the guys too, if you want."

I turned another corner and found myself in the wine and liquor aisle when I spotted none other than Edward Cullen scanning the selection. I nearly dropped my phone as I tried to hide behind a cart.

"Bella? Did you hear what I said?" I could hear Jacob's distant voice coming from the phone, but all I could focus on was Cullen who was slowly inching towards my hiding spot.

"Bella! Bella!" The phone was emitting Jacob's screams at this point, and as per usual, I clumsily dropped the phone. I watched in slow motion as the plastic crashed onto the floor, the sound like a loud explosion in the quiet store. Before I could even bend down to pick it up, Edward's face appeared and his eyes lit up in surprise.

"Drop something, Swan?" he asked, as he handed me my mangled phone. I clicked the back piece into place and blushed as I thanked him. I stared at his sparkling green eyes and I had to swallow an embarrassing moan as I unexpectedly imagined those eyes, hooded and filled with lust, as he stared down at me as I took him in my mouth. Dream Cullen moaned and grunted at my actions, but the Cullen in front of me simply smirked. I couldn't stop myself from staring at him now that I had this imaginary and dream-like version of Cullen in my mind. He laughed and snapped his fingers to catch my attention.

"Swan, I think someone is still on the phone for you."

My eyes widened in surprise as I finally registered Jacob's loud yells. I laughed nervously as I put the phone to my ear.

"Jacob? You still there?"

"Uh yeah! I'm still here. What on earth just happened? I thought I was going to have to call the ambulance for you."

I laughed again nervously as I watched Cullen stare at me. He flashed me a curious glance as I turned away to finish my call.

"Oh, sorry. I dropped my phone. But yeah, uh, I'll have to call you later."

"Wait, Bella. Wait," he pleaded. "So I'll see you at your party then? Maybe we can hang out afterwards, just you and me," he suggested, his voice making me feel hot.

I sighed heavily and glanced back at Cullen who was still staring at me with an intensity that made me quite uncomfortable. "Sure, I'll see you then."

I snapped my phone shut and reluctantly turned back towards Cullen. He stared directly at me as I walked towards him, smirking as usual, though there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Who was that? Someone really important because you seem a bit flushed," he observed. I took a few deep breaths to cool myself down before switching on my indifference. Edward Cullen would not get the best of me, despite that dream giving him the upper hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said sharply, as I moved around him to look at a few bottles of wine as though I could actually buy them. I focused solely on the label of the wine, looking at the writing but not comprehending any of the words. Cullen moved around me to grab the bottle from my hands before placing it back on the shelf.

"That wine is shit. I wouldn't recommend it," he said simply.

I flashed him an accusatory glance. "And you would know this why?"

He stared in return as though I were stupid. "Uh, because I drink a lot of wine." He continued down the aisle, stopping occasionally to glance at a few bottles before continuing further down the selections. He abruptly stopped and swiveled in my direction. "Is there a reason why you're following me?"

I could feel my blush yet again, but this time I controlled my emotions and laughed at him. "I am not following you, Cullen."

"I think it's considered following someone when you trail behind me without any intention of buying anything in this aisle," he grinned, staring down into my basket.

"Why are you in this aisle anyways? What're _you _trying to do?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm buying some beers."

It was my turn to make fun of him. "No one in Forks is going to sell to someone underage," I smirked. If I knew anything about obtaining alcohol in Forks, it was that you had to get someone's older brother or sister to buy for you. This is how Mike supplied all of our parties growing up. Nobody dared to use a fake ID, especially with Charlie around, but people weren't stupid either. Everyone knew that you were buying for high school kids when you spent more than $100 on liquor alone. As long as everyone drank _responsibly_, (which was a bit of a stretch since Lauren or Jessica were usually always vomiting behind bushes) and nobody had to get their stomachs pumped, everyone was happy.

Cullen rolled his eyes and picked up a 6-pack off the shelf placing it in his basket. "Sure, whatever."

I sighed. I didn't even want to warn him. He didn't deserve my kindness, but he was new and I wasn't a total bitch. "Seriously, Cullen. Listen to me. If you go up to the register and even attempt to pay for those beers, expect a visit from my father."

He sighed, visibly exasperated. "Nobody even knows who I am."

I snorted at that remark. "Just because you've only been here for a few days does not mean that no one knows you. In fact, I can bet that almost everyone has heard of who you are, what you're doing here, perhaps a short background on your life, and given that your dad is the hospital's new chief of staff, oh Cullen, _they know you_."

His jaw clenched and he groaned out load before he placed the beers back on the shelf. He turned to me and finally defeated, I saw him run his hands quickly through his hair. "God, is there nothing to do in this town?"

I laughed. "Unfortunately, no there isn't."

He glanced down into my basket. "What're you doing here?" he asked, innocently enough.

"I'm picking some things up for my mom."

He smirked. "How cute. Are you and mommy going to make a feast for daddy after his long day patrolling the dangerous streets of Forks," he mocked.

I continued down a few aisles, and this time it was Cullen following me. I considered asking him about class, but I didn't feel like talking when I didn't have to. He was standing rather close to me and I caught a whiff of a strong, but pleasant cologne. I didn't dare look directly at him, afraid that I would start getting flashes of that dream again. I threw in a few rolls of film in my basket before I continued to look for Renee's items.

"Why are you buying so many rolls?"

"I have independent class hours. Photography," I responded, not even bothering to look at him. I walked ahead of him now, gaining distance between us, but he rushed beside me again.

"Oh yes, Ms. NYU," he said slowly, as though pondering his next though. "Are you focusing on nudity? Nudity can be quite beautiful," he added, his face permanently fixed with that stupid smirk of his.

"Oh, and certainly tasteless as well," I retorted. "I'm sure you'd call your copy of _Playboy_ art."

"Swan, you hurt me," he snickered, clutching his heart. "I have to say, _Playboy_ is much classier than the other magazines," he said matter-of-factly. "After all, Hugh Heffner is a classy, classy fella."

"Your definition of classy must be warped."

His face fell at my response. "Swan, really, why are you so . . . what's the word I'm looking for? Why are you so _sensitive _when we speak," he asked, his mouth near my ear. I swallowed nervously and stepped aside to provide me room away from him, but I still felt trapped. He stepped closer to me this time and placed his feet in a wide stance so I couldn't navigate around him. "If you get to know me, I'm really a nice guy," he laughed, although his tone held a sliver of seriousness.

I looked everywhere except at him and I was beginning to feel flustered. I didn't know what to do, my mind drawing a complete blank. He leaned in, that familiar male aroma seeping in again, and I took in a deep breath. "It's so easy to push your buttons," he smirked, before walking away.

I chucked the rest of Renee's items into the basket. Edward Cullen was relentless. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something off about him. He couldn't always be this snarky smartass flinging backhanded insults at me. Nobody could continuously respond in witty remarks without hating themselves and/or being punched at out of sheer annoyance. I finally made my way to the register when Cullen appeared behind me again.

"So what're you doing? I am rather bored."

"Well, I'm having dinner with my family tonight."

"It's Saturday though."

"It's Forks." He eyed me suspiciously. "I'll find something to do, but I don't really plan anything."

"So you want to do something later?" His forwardness and ability to switch from liking me to insulting me was beginning to irk me.

"Why do you want to hang out with me?" I asked, pushing forward a bunch of items onto the shopping belt.

"Why wouldn't I? I skipped out on class yesterday thinking that I could actually find something to do in this town, but after three hours, it was pointless. I almost considered returning for calculus, but really, why would I?"

I groaned. "Well, thanks for taking those notes for me!"

"Oh, so you didn't go to class either? Nice."

"I was home . . . sick. I wasn't skipping," I snapped, a little distressed.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. Hey . . ." he said leaning in a bit, "if it makes you feel any better, I pretty much got the first 3 chapters down for calc. I could help you if you're having any problems or something," he said, smiling awkwardly as he waited for my response.

It was strange seeing him uncertain, no smirk, and his features suddenly much softer. "Yeah, sure, that'd be nice."

I paid for my items and was about to grab my bags and leave when Cullen asked me to wait a few minutes. He paid for his items, a weird variety of odd things, and looked at my bags. "Do you need help bringing those to your car?"

I was always told that my face expressed too easily my many emotions and Cullen laughed at my very surprised face. He chucked his bag into his Volvo before he turned back to my car and grabbed a few bags. "Like I said, I _can_ be nice when I want to be. I'm not a total asshole." He closed my trunk and smiled. "I'll see you in a bit, neighbor."

I drove home, following Cullen in his shiny black Volvo. He drove about 10 over the speed limit and I followed suit, despite knowing better—with my luck, Charlie would pull me over while on his shift. We pulled into our respective driveways, and again, I was surprised when Cullen walked across the yard and began to help with the grocery bags. I liked seeing this side of him, as though I was seeing a side to him that others weren't allowed to witness. I had known the guy a whopping two days and yet I was always so curious to find out more about him. His smirk was back, but he hadn't dropped the bag with the eggs and turned back to his house or anything.

Renee must have heard me slam the car door because she was outside within a few seconds. "Oh hello!" she smiled, eyeing Cullen curiously. "How nice of you. You must be Carlisle and Esme's youngest boy."

He glanced in my direction, flashing me mischievous smile. "Yeah, that's right. I'm Edward Cullen," he said.

"Aren't you cute," Renee said. She stared at me and then Cullen, her mind reeling at the idea of our kids, I'm sure. "You're in my daughter's year, right? He's cute Bella. I'd secure this one before the other girls get their claws on him."

"Renee . . ." I warned.

Edward shot me a look. "Calling your parents by their first names? How very _modern_ of you," he smirked.

"Stop being a hypocrite, Edward. You do it all the time."

I whipped around to see a tall and slender woman with long and wavy brown hair walk across the yard. A tall blonde, perhaps in his late 30s and equally as stunning, accompanied her with Alice trailing behind them. I assumed the couple was Esme and Carlisle and I smiled in their direction.

"Renee, I hope Edward isn't being a pain," she joked, as she reached us.

"Oh no Esme, he's being such a gentleman helping Bella bring in our groceries," she smiled. Esme simply raised her eyebrows at her youngest son.

She turned in my direction. "You must be Bella. Your mom and dad have been telling us all about you and finally, we get to meet you! You're much prettier than your mom described," she said, her voice warm, kind and sincere.

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled, my cheeks slightly flushed, her compliments a bit much for my liking.

Carlisle smiled as well, but he kept glancing down at his watch. "I'm Carlisle. I'm really sorry I can't stay but I'm heading in for a shift at the hospital. But yes, I agree with my wife, it was a pleasure to finally meet you," he winked.

I caught Cullen rolling his eyes at his father, but he waved Carlisle a goodbye anyways. Alice nudged me and she gave me a small hug. "I missed you at school yesterday," she whispered, as our mothers continued their discussion.

"Sorry, I wasn't feeling well. Damn volleyball," I joked. "I hope school went okay?"

"Oh yeah, Jasper walked me to all my classes," she said, blushing softly.

"Oh, he would," I gagged. "Where's Emmett?"

"At a football meeting at Mike's."

"A football meeting? There are no such things as football meetings at Mike's house. That just means they're gorging on food and playing beer pong," I laughed.

"It's not like he'd be against that," Alice giggled.

"Bella, sweetheart!" Renee said.

"Yes?" Her eyes were twinkling and I knew this couldn't be good.

"I was just talking about your birthday party and I don't believe you have invited the Cullens yet."

Cullen shot me a look before turning towards Renee. "Oh, what a great idea Mrs. Swan."

"My baby's turning 18 and we're throwing her this huge party at the house. It's the first big thing we're hosting at the new house, and I thought Bella's big day would be perfect. You're going to invite them sweetheart, right?"

I was going to invite Alice and Emmett anyways, but now Esme was here and I would feel horrible if I made her son appear as an outcast. Cullen threw me a look as though to say, "Let's see you _not_ invite me now."

"Alice, _Edward_," I barely said through gritted teeth, "do you want to come to my party? Extend the invitation to Emmett as well."

"Thank you, Bella. I'd _love_ to come to your party," Cullen said, his smirk back again.

We stayed there in the front yard and discussed a bunch of random things before both Esme and Renee left. I stood there asking Alice what I had missed in class when she left to get the notes I had missed and Edward and failed to take for me. As we stood there by ourselves, I didn't bother to say anything to him, but he took pleasure in the fact that I was visibly uncomfortable again.

"Again, thanks for that invitation," he joked. "What kind of party is it going to be? Are your parents going to serve root beer from the keg?" he laughed.

I sighed. "Actually," I said, "Renee is considering taking a small vacation with my dad and few of their friends that weekend, but she's really worried about the party. Charlie trusts me though, so more than likely, we'll have the house to ourselves."

"Hmm, perhaps we can get Carlisle and Esme to go with your parents. And then we can throw you a _real _party."

"Sure, whatever."

"It's your 18th birthday. Why aren't you excited?"

"I am! I just don't make big deals about it usually. Renee is the one who's been planning it for the past few weeks," I mumbled.

"It's Forks. There's nothing to do here. I would assume that on your birthday at least, that you would get shit faced. As you know, I don't know how it works around here. That's why I thought we could hang out so I could acclimate myself to your weird processes when it comes to obtaining alcohol. Because really, I think you need to get drunk," he laughed.

"Was that your big back up plan after you realized there was nothing to do here? To become an alcoholic?"

"Well, it's never failed be before," he said, as Alice made her way back to us.

"Here are the notes from English."

I smiled at her and glared in Edward's direction. "_Someone's_ looking out for me. Thanks Alice."

"I am though. Just not at school. I'm looking out for you to be drunk come next week," he smirked, before returning back to his house.

I glanced at Alice for an answer, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"That's Edward for you," she said.

__________________________

***Big party next chapter? I think I'm updating weekly at this point; I'd love for a review or two. :) **


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